SHIBBOLETH: Thoughts on life and faith

New Year’s Eve: a Time to Reflect?

New Year’s Eve sometimes feels like the one day in the year when you HAVE to have some plans – maybe parties, meeting up with friends, going out? Well, this year I can happily say that the most plans I have are staying at home and probably even going to sleep before midnight! I am quite happy with this, because I am looking forward to taking the opportunity, at the end of one year and start of another, to spend some time reflecting and taking stock.

In the past I have enjoyed taking time on New Year’s Eve to spend time with God, thinking about the year that’s gone and looking towards the year ahead, and talking to Him about it and committing my plans to Him. So, this year I thought I’d have a think about these questions:

Looking back at the year that’s just gone:

what do I want to thank God for?

are there particular times/attitudes which I need to repent of and ask forgiveness for?

Looking at the year to come:

what is God challenging/encouraging/prompting me to do or to start to change?

what would I like to do this year? Have I given these plans to God and asked Him to direct my path?

The subjects of these questions are often in my mind, but I find the opportunity to answer these questions on the eve of a new year particularly poignant because it helps me to start as I mean to go on. I want 2013 to be a year in which my relationship with God is growing, so it only seems fitting to start the New Year with Him firmly by my side and in my mind.

I hope these questions might be useful for you to think about too, however you are spending your New Year’s Eve. Please do share your thoughts.

I’m currently reading:

"[Christian rebellion] arises from the doctrine of mankind made in the image of God, and therefore protests against all forms of dehumanization. It sets itself against the social injustices which insult God the Creator, seeks to protect human beings from oppression and longs to liberate them… it protests against every authoritarian regime, whether of the left or of the right, which discriminates against minorities, denies people their civil rights, forbids the free expression of opinions or imprisons people for their views alone."— John Stott